Category Archives: 2017 Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey

This is the virtual tour that will imagine what it would be like to visit every North American drive-in theater in 2017 by visiting one or two every day. While the drive-ins, restaurants, and hotels are real, all the events in this section are fiction. But it’s fun to dream!

Feb. 22: Basin Drive In Theatre, Mount Pleasant UT

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Basin Drive-In sign by snow-covered ground

photo by Kenny from the Carload Flickr pool

It’s Day 53 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. It was time for another long haul, over five hours through frequently yucky weather from North Las Vegas to the Basin Drive In Theatre in Mount Pleasant UT. Sure glad I’ve got snow tires!

According to Cinema Treasures, the Basin opened in 1958 and upgraded to digital projection in 2013. It’s apparently the only movie theater that Mount Pleasant has ever known.

DriveInMovie.com tells a great story about the Basin. “The Basin Drive-in was originally located about 300 miles from here in the Uintah Basin of northeastern Utah. In 1958 it was purchased and then moved to its present location – and everything, from the projection booth equipment, to the old screen and the sign out front was carried over, including the old name.” I love that story, but no one ever says what city it came from. The farthest point in the Uinta Basin is barely 200 miles away. There are no drive-ins named Basin in Utah in the 1955 Theatre Catalog. Despite that, that same story was told by the Deseret News. “In the 1960s,” the News wrote, the owners “bought the Basin Drive-In, which was located in Uinta Basin, and moved it to Mt. Pleasant.”

The Basin folks were kind enough to fill this hole in my knowledge. “It came from the east side of Roosevelt,” they wrote, “(yes, they had two drive-ins in that little town!).” The other is the Echo Drive-In on the west side of town, which is still going strong.

Even as the theater was pelted by a mixture of rain and snow, the Basin Drive-In Facebook page reassured me that the place will reopen for another season this spring. When, exactly? “Usually the first week in April!”

Miles Today / Total:  354 / 6776 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 37

Nearby Restaurant: You’ll never guess what I had to eat at Cavalier Pizza, just two miles south of the Basin. Not the pizza, but the soup and salad bar. The unlimited soup, like meaty chili or their special chowder, was the secret quasi-healthy alternative I needed after going full carnivore the day before.

Where I Virtually Stayed: There are no hotels in Mount Pleasant, but since the Basin is on the north side of town, the best choice is probably the Skyline Motel in Fairview less than six miles away. Just a small sign, 10 units, and a large tree out front with picnic benches underneath. Then again, my room had wifi and a mini fridge. It worked, but the culture shock after staying in Las Vegas the night before was pretty extreme.

Only in Mount Pleasant: This small city is home to Wasatch Academy, an independent, coeducational, college preparatory boarding school for grades 8-12. It was founded in 1875 by a Presbyterian minister who had come to the mountains of central Utah to do missionary work among the Mormons.

Next Stop: Tru Vu Drive In Theatre, Delta CO.

Feb. 21: Las Vegas 6 Drive-In, North Las Vegas NV

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It’s Day 52 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. It started with a two-hour drive across the Mojave Desert, past the world’s tallest thermometer, past what was once the world’s tallest roller coaster, and past most of the crazy hotel-monuments on the west side of the Las Vegas Strip. It was a fun drive! And then I reached the object of my quest, the Las Vegas 6 Drive-In, technically in North Las Vegas NV.

According to Cinema Treasures, the Las Vegas Drive-In opened in 1966 with a single screen, joining three other Vegas-area drive-ins: the Nevada, Skyway, and Stardust. It later expanded to four screens, then to six screens, then lost one due to wind damage, then restored the sixth.

The central concession stand is a fine place to get huge tubs of popcorn and drinks along with the other usual suspects. Always nice to see some arcade games in there too. It’s clearly built to handle much busier crowds than what was there on a Tuesday night, even one with perfect 60-degree weather.

I cheated a little in choosing my “early” movie for the night. John Wick: Chapter 2 played as a second feature, but it started at 8:15, earlier than any first movie in June. I wanted to watch something I hadn’t seen yet, and this movie was worth fudging a little.

Miles Today / Total:  157 / 6422 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: John Wick: Chapter 2 / 37

Nearby Restaurant: Just down the street at Texas Station, one of its many restaurants is Austin’s Steakhouse. There are quite a few of these old-school sort of fine dining steakhouses throughout the area, but not many have prices as reasonable as Austin’s. I splurged on the steak and lobster because I didn’t know the next time I’d get such a great opportunity.

Where I Virtually Stayed: There are so many choices spread out all over the Las Vegas area, and there are a couple of decent ones nearby. The Fiesta Rancho Hotel is literally across the street, but I like the Texas Station a little better, and it’s just another block down Rancho Road. The station buffets are a great value, and the room rate was very reasonable because I gamble just enough to keep a players club card alive.

Only in North Las Vegas: There are any number of amazing things to talk about in Las Vegas, but what about North Las Vegas? Besides the drive-in, maybe its most remarkable feature is the lumberjack statue posing in front of Lumberjacks Restaurant. It’s maybe 12 to 15 feet tall.

Next Stop: Basin Drive In Theatre, Mount Pleasant UT.

Feb. 20: Skyline Drive-in Theater, Barstow CA

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It’s Day 51 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. It had been a few weeks since I had to drive over three hours to get from one drive-in to another, but the El Rancho in Sparks NV isn’t really close to any other drive-in except the Sacramento.To keep moving forward, I had to go seven hours to reach the Skyline Drive-in Theater in Barstow CA.

Unfortunately, the Skyline is closed for the season until March 17. According to its Facebook page, the Skyline was losing money during the weeks of winter, but should be back to normal in the spring. As for me, even with the last few dark nights, I’m still on a pace to watch 257 movie nights this year, well above my goal of 200.

This was my last night in California for at least a couple of months. After sweeping across the country east-to-west roughly along I-10, I’ll be driving east roughly along I-40 to the Appalachians. By the end of March, I’ll turn north, then head west again. There are still a lot of drive-in theaters left to visit!

According to Cinema Treasures, the Skyline opened in 1966 with a single screen. (Then again, the logo on this page says the Skyline first opened in 1964.) At the time, it was the second drive-in around Barstow; the Bar-Len in adjacent Lenwood was active throughout the 1960s. The Skyline closed in 1987, but it re-opened with a makeover in 1996, and in 2000 it added a second screen. The Skyline changed operators and closed for several weeks in late summer 2009, followed by a “Grand Reopening” that October. The good news is that the Skyline bought two digital projectors in February 2015, so it looks like it’s in it for the long haul. Just not this night.

Miles Today / Total:  417 / 6265 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 36

Nearby Restaurant: There aren’t a ton of restaurants to choose from in Barstow, so I figured this would be the best time to hit an all-time favorite regional chain, the In-N-Out Burger. They don’t offer an extensive menu, but their burgers and fries make it worth stopping at least once whenever I’m within range.

Where I Virtually Stayed: After staying up too late gambling in Reno the night before, followed by a full day’s drive to Barstow, I just wanted something familiar. The Hampton Inn in Barstow was just what I needed. Cookies and flavored iced water in the lobby when I arrived. A comfy bed and a great breakfast the next morning.

Only in Barstow: The Casa del Desierto (House of the Desert), also known as the Barstow Harvey House and Rail Depot, combines the Western America Railroad Museum and the Route 66 Mother Road Museum. That’s not so unusual since much of Route 66 paralleled the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe rail line. Harvey Houses were a civilizing force in the American Southwest over a century ago. Built in 1910 after an earlier version burned, this preserved hotel, restaurant and train depot was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

Next Stop: Las Vegas 6 Drive-In, North Las Vegas NV.